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Monday, July 29, 2013

Over the past few months I have seen and heard tidbits about the Raw Food way of life.
I am not at all familiar with this way of eating, so I naturally thought everything is completely raw and that is that.

Well That is not the case at all. From what I understand foods can actually be heated, just not greater than 115 degrees.The understanding is that once food is heated above the 115 degrees, it can lose a major part of its nutrients and is more difficult for the body to absorb the enzymes.

After seeing that a Raw Food restaurant had opened I couldn't resist going to check it out.

The Good Life Cafe located on Leaphart Rd in West Columbia was all that I had hoped it would be and more.The staff was so sweet and caring. They knew the menu and even offer suggestions. Needless to say I was so excited by this point that I could hardly contain my smile.
I ordered the Burger with a side of kale and fruit. As I waited to see my plate, I read Sharon's story about how she came to opening such a unique place.

I was personally moved by the road she has traveled. Come to find out we actually have similar paths. Both our lives have been touched by cancer.

When the food came, my excitement jumped a notch. I am not really sure what I thought it would look like. All in all, it looked like a burger and I was ecstatic to to devour every bit of it.
The flavor was bright and refreshing. The warmth was a pleasant surprise. The texture, firm and delightful. The sides were as amazing as the burger itself, sweet and just ripe.The care that went into making this meal was very apparent and I truly appreciated it.

I definitely recommend giving this spot a try. I mean, after all I pretty much licked my plate.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

There is a great thing happening! Tomatoes are everywhere. Tiffany Beverly is here to share her take on the tomato dish she had at The Drip on Main.
Thank you Tiffany for sharing your story, and I hope too see y'all out at the Tasty Tomato Festival.
Don't forget to say "Hello".
Sherree

This Saturday is the 4th Annual Palmetto Tasty
Tomato Festival. I confess that I love
this festival. When my husband and I
moved to Columbia from Chicago three years ago, one of the things that we
missed most was heirloom tomatoes. If
you haven’t tried an heirloom, you are missing out on a great pleasure. Tomatoes in grocery stores these days have
been bred to travel well as they are shipped from great distances and need to
be able to stay fresh for long periods.
That’s also one reason that they are so perfectly round – it’s easier to
pack them when they are the same size and shape. The other reason is that consumers like
pretty, round fruit. The focus on travel
and appearance has produced tomatoes that are distinctly lacking in
flavor. Heirloom tomatoes are the
opposite. Appearance? They’re gnarly and lumpy. They come in a variety of colors that range
from the vivid to the startling. In
short, they look like nothing we’ve come to expect from the tomato. But the taste? The taste is everything you imagine when you
think of a tomato. Slightly sweet and
slightly tart, the heirloom tomato is like summer on a plate. One you experience them, you may never want
to go back to the regular kind. Sadly,
heirlooms are still difficult to find in Columbia. That’s where the Tasty Tomato Festival comes
in. It shines the spotlight on heirloom
tomatoes. You can taste a wide variety
of heirlooms and buy some to take home.
The Festival also features live music, local food trucks and beer, and
games for the kids. Be sure to check it
out.

In the meantime, in honor of the Tasty Tomato Festival,
Columbia restaurants have been featuring tomato-centric dishes this week during
their own Tasty Tomato Restaurant Feast.
I wanted to check out some of the offerings and decided it would be a
good chance to try out Drip on Main. My
husband and friends have been singing the praises of Drip’s coffee for a
while. I’m not a coffee drinker myself,
so I had not been yet. We got there a
little after lunchtime, and in the spirit of Tomato Feast, I opted for the
Tomato with Fresh Mozzarella and Anchovy and Olive Tapenade on Focaccia
Bread. Y’all, I haven’t had a sandwich
this good in quite some time. The
focaccia was toasty on the outside which provided just the right crunch with
the soft insides. And oh, those
insides. The olive tapenade was briny
with a nice tangy punch from capers. Don’t
left the anchovy scare you away. When
handled well, anchovies just provide a undercurrent of salty earthiness. This all played perfectly against the fresh
sweetness of the tomato and a pop of fresh basil. The mozzarella added a wonderful creaminess
to the whole thing. Everything about this
sandwich was balanced just right. It’s a winner. I’ll order it again and again

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

I had this great post all about our trip to Hilton Head almost finished when my husband called to say he had something fun for us to do when he got home.

With all the crazy monsoon weather we have had, the rivers is quite high. Well, flooding in some spots. Such as on one of his job sites. He was there yesterday checking everything out when two cars full of kids pulled up, everyone hopped out and proceeded to catch crawdads!
I could see them as he was telling me the storey, laughing, playing and having some good ol' fashion fun.

We made the forty minute drive and sure enough, we pulled up, hopped out and had our own fun! Holy fun, was it ever! There we were in the flooded street, nets in hand using our spidey senses to teach our kids.
Getting them excited to explore all that our beautiful state has to offer. Taking advantage of what would normally be a bummer rainy summer..

Before too long we discovered the sweet spot. Like I said there was flooding. The water had breached the road and made a nice bar for the critters to crawl up onto for a little break from the swift water. Once they hit the lip of the asphalt we would pounce.

Jesse was all into it. When he caught one you would have thought it was Christmas.

After about an hour we had managed to catch a handful. Not really enough to make a meal out of.

That didn't stop the kids from wanting to bring them home. We now have our first "pet". His name is squishy and hopefully we can reunite him with the rest of his family next week.

Question;

I have never eaten a crawdad, where the best place in town to try them?

~Who I am~

I am a happy wife and mother of two. Mother of two, not wife of two :}

I love good food. Sharing a meal with someone is one of life's greatest treasures. I enjoy passing along what I know as well as continuing to learn what I can about it. I am not classically trained, nor did I finish college.

Instead I traveled Europe and became the person I am today.

Our family tries to eat fresh and local.

Through my interactions I have been able to meet some really great people in the food community. Most are really nice and genuinely good people. I like to support and be involved in this sense of community.

I'm not part of any organized group. Not that I wouldn't want to be, but I just can not commit to anyone but my family right now.

Our children are young and I can only plate so much :)

Writing has become a great outlet for me. I hope you enjoy what I share with you and look forward to your insight.